Seems to me that "trust" is the last thing the average joe would associate cryptocurrency with. A database with a public audit trail might be a better idea if you want that, but that certainly doesn't sound as trendy and exciting as "blockchain".
Indeed, the blockchain concept is more exciting and understandable for a lot of people, so in that sense branding their consortium-controlled cryptographically verifiable ledger as a blockchain seems like a good PR decision.
